Here’s my argument for why I think that the illegalization of abortion is philosophically problematic:
(P1) x is a human just in case x has a genetic code that is distinctively human.
(P2) A fetus, at some point in the fetal development, acquires a genetic code that is distinctively human.
(P3) So, at a certain point in the fetal development, a fetus becomes a bona fide human.
(P4) From a legal standpoint, the right to life of a human is protected by the law.
(P5) There is no characterization of a human that can objectively identify its instantiations other than the mere possession of a distinctively human genetic code.
(P6) So, a fetus, at a certain point in the fetal development, has the right to life that is protected by the law.
(P7) However, Judith Jarvis Thomson presents an argument that persuasively proves that the fact that the fetus has the right to life does not necessarily entail that it has the right to use the mother’s body.
(C) Therefore, even if a fetus has the right to life that is protected by the law, it’s not clear how such a fact can sufficiently justify the legal prohibition of abortion.
(P1) x is a human just in case x has a genetic code that is distinctively human.
(P2) A fetus, at some point in the fetal development, acquires a genetic code that is distinctively human.
(P3) So, at a certain point in the fetal development, a fetus becomes a bona fide human.
(P4) From a legal standpoint, the right to life of a human is protected by the law.
(P5) There is no characterization of a human that can objectively identify its instantiations other than the mere possession of a distinctively human genetic code.
(P6) So, a fetus, at a certain point in the fetal development, has the right to life that is protected by the law.
(P7) However, Judith Jarvis Thomson presents an argument that persuasively proves that the fact that the fetus has the right to life does not necessarily entail that it has the right to use the mother’s body.
(C) Therefore, even if a fetus has the right to life that is protected by the law, it’s not clear how such a fact can sufficiently justify the legal prohibition of abortion.
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